Candid
by miss-apple-dbz
Summary: They were not perfect. Sometimes it hurt to know it. Other times it was a relief. G/V. Two-shot 20 Truths.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello there! I know I should be working on "What You Will", but in my last one shot, Zephyr Camida asked me if I could write a 20 Truths Meme. There doesn't seem to be one in the DBZ section at all, but it is quite popular in other fandoms.

Anyway, this is my first time knowing about this, so hopefully I didn't do it too badly. I realize that most 20 facts are shorter than what I've written, but I can never seem to get off the word counts. Hehe. In my defense, each one is really like a drabble! And as most of you know, I've failed many times in writing drabbles. But lo! Here I come with twenty of them! Haha!

So… there are five Videl 'truths', five Gohan 'truths', and ten G/V 'truths'. I mixed them up, and so the times will also be mixed up. Just keep in mind that there's no particular timeline in this story. It'll probably jump back and forth. Sorry =( … just treat each one like a very, very small one-shot.

* * *

-o-

Gohan liked green. It was his favourite colour, reminding him of the peaceful hills behind his house, and the swaying of leaves during a tranquil summer by the forest. He also liked to see that colour on his plate, for it reminded him that while gluttony was a frequent habit of his, at least he was eating healthy. As a matter of fact, maybe Gohan even _loved_ green. He dreamed that one day when he had his own room he would paint it a nice mint colour. Maybe he would even incorporate the neon green of his Saiyaman outfit to the rest of his clothes.

But he never, in his entire life, had felt _in love_ with green. Piccolo was a good friend, and a good friend he would remain.

-o-

It was sort of an accident that Videl was hired as protector of Satan City.

Videl never resented that her father never gave her everything she wanted. When she asked for training gears, outfits and machines, he told her to get a job. She supposed that this was the kind of treatment that normal children received, and her father wanted to spare at least some part of her life to be lived as normally as possible. In her search for a part time job, she managed to catch a few shoplifters from a store where the security guard was fooling off with a page of Sudoku. The cops who had taken the wrongdoers heard of this, and she was hired on the spot in exchange of the training equipment she wanted.

-o-

One thing that Gohan and Videl liked to do when they were out in the city was to chase ice cream trucks. They had some peculiar pleasure in acting childish and silly when they were together. And when they would hear the funny siren of the vehicle, they would imitate the excited shouts of the children around them. They had a deal that whoever caught up last would be the one to pay the treat. But even though they made the deal sincerely, Videl always offered to pay, teasing Gohan that his pockets were often empty.

-o-

Sometimes, Videl noticed that Gohan was not very self-aware. Not that she minded too much; she thought it was cute how he defended himself when she accused him of something. Before she became his girlfriend, she made a small comment about his shyness, and he disagreed so readily. So she took a bottle of soda, two straws, and challenged him that if he could drink from one of them and she from the other, together and face to face, then he'd be right. He had only touched the straw with his lips before falling into a choked laughter of embarrassment. He couldn't even look at her eyes.

-o-

There was some point in Gohan's teen life when he had been an insomniac. There was no particular reason for it, except that he thought that sleeping was a waste of time. His fourteen year old self had marveled at how much time he had suddenly found on his hands; three years after the defeat of Cell and suddenly his days freed up without the training, and he discovered a plethora of activities he could do. So why sleep when there was the whole night waiting for him to explore? Slowly, as he listened to his brother's soft breathing, he slipped out of bed and out into the world.

-o-

Contrary to the popular belief that Videl was much too energetic to sit down and think for long periods of time, she actually enjoyed a challenging game of chess. In some unexplainable way, she considered it as a simple, home-based mystery case that she needed to crack. After all, moving thirty-two pieces strategically required both knowledge, a sixth sense and foresight; all of which were also necessary in fighting.

-o-

The childhood fairy tales forced Videl to have unrealistically low standards for men. They were supposed to waltz into a girl's life to save her from unknown, petty doom, propose the idea of marriage, and take her away to a place that almost always seemed to glow with golden confetti. She hated the idea. She wanted nothing to do with princes charming and knights of shining armours. She wanted her man to be everything these nobles were not.

She had looked up from reading the book, and found Gohan on his back _enjoying_ math equations. For a moment, she wondered how in the world he managed to be so accommodating.

-o-

Growing up, Gohan had always listened to his mother's growing list of proper manners. She particularly never missed those that pertained to treating a lady well. At that point in time, Gohan had somewhat agreed with her. But when he met Videl, it became a different story. She was not a lady. Her pride felt threatened when he offered to open the door for her, or carry her books, or pull a chair out for her to sit on.

"Don't you think I can do it by myself?" she reprimanded, leaving him stunned.

-o-

Gohan never had an easy time trying to please both of his parents, especially when what they liked was already difficult to achieve separately, let alone simultaneously. Be a scholar for his mother. Be the universe's strongest fighter for his father. And it was not like their expectations were reasonable… far from it, actually. One day he knew he would have to choose between the two futures, because he could not keep splitting himself in half to fulfill both of his parents' wishes. It would not be easy, but eventually he would make a decision. And it would have to be the one that would hurt less people. Less of those he cared about. Because one other thing he knew was that one day, these fighters would realize that maybe the life of hundreds did not amount to the ones that they cherished most.

-o-

There was a very good reason behind Videl's apparent arrogance. Someone more scientifically inclined, perhaps may call it the "Hawthorne's Effect". It emanated from the actions of those around her, mostly her classmates, and occasionally her own father. There were those around her who expected her to be an entertainer, a full fleshed celebrity walking amongst the commoners. Some anticipated the pompous words from her mouth even before they really knew what she wanted to say. And then there was also the constant negligence for her personal time and space. Really, arrogance became the only key to satisfy everyone. Those who wanted a star act got them, those who wanted to hear proud words heard them, and those who disliked conceit left her alone. Everyone was happy.

-o-

There was a point in time, before Gohan had really known Videl personally, that he thought she was incapable of tears. That changed just after she had blackmailed him into teaching him how to fly, on his last day of school before he excused himself for training. They walked from school together, talking casually. He happened to mention some of his earlier school memories from a few days ago, and jeered at how she had treated him. So suspicious and pressing and rough. But he was laughing all the time, so he was puzzled when she walked ahead, leaving him alone with his jokes. He caught up to her and asked what was wrong, aware of the glossiness in her eyes.

"Nothing," she whispered. "It's just you make it sound like I've never been a good friend to you."

-o-

When Buu became a regular part of the Satan household, there was never a time when the family had run out of sweets. And when they did, they would find one of their furniture vanishing into the mouth of the pink blob in the form of a sugared treat. It was quite exhausting to have to deal with that, but Videl found one way that she could use Buu's reputation as the official candy monster for good use. A funny use. She left a chocolate shaped like her on her bed, so that when Gohan came later that night, he would have only one thing in mind.

-o-

Gohan's least favourite game with his little brother was 'hide and seek'. The first time they played it, Goten was only two years old, and Gohan forgot to specify that their backyard was off-limits. And so, with no chi at all to guide him to his brother's hiding place, Gohan spent hours scouring the mountains. It was only five hours later when he found Goten camouflaging among dinosaur eggs in a large nest. The little boy had entertained the parents into thinking he was a baby dinosaur. Gohan had quite a trouble retrieving his brother from the affectionate reptiles, not because they were violent, but because Goten threw a fit against leaving.

-o-

Videl had nothing against secrets or those who kept them. She was fully aware that there were some things better off unknown to her, and she also kept in mind that some spaces were too personal to cross. She respected that. But there was a usual misconception that she was a predator for secrets, unearthing them to use against the keepers' wills. That wasn't true. What Videl didn't like was if someone was suspiciously hiding a fact that could potentially endanger the well being of others. After all, no ordinary person could burn the skin off a baseball glove, with one single throw.

-o-

Gohan had to admit that sometimes the teasing he received from the rest of the gang was tiresome and plain humiliating even. But he had later learned how to block the jokes away, brushing them off his shoulders, and just offered a small smile to his friends. He often had to remind himself how all these reunions or parties or gatherings had been like without her in the past. There were the adults and there were the children. And there was him, caught in the middle, who either had to sit out a 'grown up' talk, or baby sit the kids. So never mind that he had to endure embarrassment from time to time. At least this time around, he didn't have to be an outlier.

-o-

One of the things Videl loved when she trained with Gohan was that she did not have to rely on herself to make her body feel better afterwards. There was no need to drag her limping self into the shower or a hot bath or on her bed for a nap only to wake up feeling sorer than ever. Nope. With Gohan, all she had to do was call it a break, lie on the grass and state that her body ached. She did not have to do anything else, and within seconds, she would feel Gohan's hands on her limbs, massaging her aching muscles. Dear Dende, this man had god given hands…

-o-

Crying, for Gohan, was like a breath of fresh air. The need to cry did not occur as often as it did when he was less than ten years old, but it still came. As a fighter, he had been influenced to think that emotions were unneeded in the battlefield; they only got in the way of rational thinking. He never understood the logic behind that; wasn't it his own mind that determined what he felt? And that was why crying was so important. Letting the tears go was like washing away the heaviness in his heart (and mind), so that better and clearer feelings can replace the sadness.

-o-

Videl hated shopping. In stores where colourful sundresses hung, purple and gold high heels lined the walls, fashionable jewelry and up to date designer clothes littered the floor, she felt just a tad bit out of place in her oversized shirt and sports shoes. With Erasa, it was more bearable, but she had no other reason to be in those stores anyway other than to accompany her friend. And she could never miss the curious stares of the women and girls who passed by them, eyeing her outfit for a second and giving her a "What are you doing here" look.

-o-

Gohan never meant it when he said he loved Videl the very first time he told her. Not because he didn't, but because he wasn't consciously aware that he said it. That afternoon, he had fallen asleep trying to memorize his speech for class the next morning. She had stayed awake trying to finish their joint project in another course, when he suddenly called out her name. She turned around, but still found him asleep. And yet, she never missed the moment when he dedicated the three words to her.

-o-

Videl noticed that most of Gohan's family and friends could almost never do anything creative. Well, excepting martial arts, of course, which was really about the only art they could ever do. When there was time, maybe after training and chores and studying, Videl would play something for Gohan. Usually, they would be a few songs from her collection, so that the poor boy would actually know what music is like in the city. And if she felt like it, some strumming of guitar strings never hurt. She'd always adored the fascinated look Gohan gave her, as if for the first time in a long, long time, she could do something that he couldn't.

* * *

AN: Ooh… are you guys still awake? Hehe. Hopefully that wasn't too boring. I hope you enjoy it a little bit! I'll get better next time. It's also un-beta'd, so forgive me for any prominent mistakes.

Ooh, okay, I'll make things a little interesting (well… somewhat). So, most of you might know about Gohan/ Videl Week 4.0 in August. Actually, one of the facts I wrote here would be entered as a fanart in a duel for G/V Week. If you can guess which one it is, I will grant you a request! Hehe, how about that? (Oh, and for a hint, I am responsible for the theme of "Pleasure".) And you can guess more than one.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: So like the first chapter, these tiny snippets don't come in any particular order. Enjoy!

* * *

Videl would not cut her hair. Who was Gohan anyway that his words equaled eight inches of perfectly decent hair? _His_ hair didn't look like it came twelve feet near a fashion magazine. Besides, she had been fighting for _years_ with long hair, and never had she given even the slightest opportunity for her opponents to trick her by grabbing her hair. Nope, she was not going to do it. No, not today at least. Nah.

… Alright, fine.

-o-

They danced around each other for years. It was quite a tango, really. They swayed about each other, fully content in their mutual admiration and longing, and not even the insistent jokes around them could make them stop. For them, it was enough that their movements whispered the words that their lips could not.

-o-

Gohan wondered sometimes how the world saw her. Was her last name more significant than her first? Was she just a strong girl? A pretty fighter? Did they know she didn't like ice cubes in her soda? That dust bunnies drove her insane? That there was a line on her hip marking the path of a throwing knife as she put her life in danger for a bunch of forgetful city folks? Let them not know. Let the world turn a blind eye to the real her. This pearl was his. Because maybe, Gohan thought, once in a while he could afford to be selfish.

-o-

They were not perfect. Sometimes it hurt to know it. Other times it was a relief.

-o-

She used to tell herself, back when she was a younger girl that the _only_ way she'd know if she truly loved someone is if she would take a bullet for him. Now it seemed a little silly. Imagine her, throwing herself in shooting range, in front of a man who would never even flinch at the touch of metal. That was alright. She's already short on years as it was.

-o-

They would crawl under the covers of his or her bed, depending on whose room they were using as a temporary study hall for that afternoon. And it was like they were five, not seventeen, the way they laughed, like they were high on nitrous oxide, over the silliest jokes, the strangest thumb wrestling move, and their high pitched voices as they ventriloquized dead philosophers. It was the childhood Gohan never had.

-o-

_She loves me. She loves me not. She loves me._

_...she loves me not._

Gohan threw the now bald flower out his window. He really should never get flowers with prime-numbered petals. Or he should really learn how to follow heuristics. This was the deal: with odd-numbered petals, one should start with the positive. With even-numbered petals, the negative. It was simply really, and it makes him wonder why he was still sitting here, cooped up in his room, instead of by her side.

-o-

Videl wondered sometimes how the world saw him. His life was one that could both fascinate and perplex, teach and stupify, and he hoarded it away in the mountains. She had watched as he shied away from the limelight, refusing the offer to subvert the irony that made their relationship so strange. She ached to know how much would be hidden, unrecorded, unrecognized, falling in the abyss of history. Videl chaffed with the knowledge that this was an injustice she could not remedy.

-o-

"What was it like?" Goten asked.

"What?" Gohan said.

"You know... you and Videl, well, you have a baby now." Goten's eyes shifted to the crib at the corner of the room. At twelve, was it so surprising that his younger brother would be curious? Still, Gohan found himself blushing to the tips of his ears, even as a married man and a new father. There had never been secrets between him and his brother. But there's a first for everything.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Goten," he reprimanded. "Whatever Roshi tells you, it's not like that."

"It's not?"

Gohan winked. "It's better."

-o-

Goku left again. Their daughter woke up everyday asking when grandpa would be back. They did not know, they told her. Patience was an exercise that a four year old failed so easily. Gohan kept a smile, assuring Videl that, oh he did that all the time, and that she need not worry, and once he returned, everything would go back to the way it was. But there was a line in between his brows that told her it was not so. Goten was frequently bored. Chichi fell ill. Yes, perhaps death might have proved incompetent when it comes to Goku, but he was not the only one who could die. His leaving had never been idempotent.

-o-

She stirred up something really quickly one afternoon. It was nothing comparable to Chichi's snacks, which were exotic even in bite-sized proportions, but there was a simplicity in its homeliness that tickled Gohan's satisfaction. The ingredients weren't even that expensive: cheap butter, a can of corned beef, onions and spices. It was a small snack even for the two of them, but it would get them through another hour of physics homework.

"I didn't know you could cook!" he exclaimed, with something almost like pride.

She shrugged and smiled. "We weren't always rich."

-o-

She would not be jealous. The world deserved him as much as she did, if not more. And if he did not come home tonight, at least she could sleep knowing another city or town or village was safe from the clutches of evil.

She never slept anyway.

-o-

"I would wax poetic if I could," Gohan confessed. "But describing your kiss might sound like a restaurant menu."

Videl never laughed so hard.

-o-

Gohan shifted her head onto his lap, as she dozed off quietly. He often teased her that the mountain atmosphere and environment were too boring for her, which was why she always fell into short naps when she came over. But she fervently denied this. It was peaceful and soothing, and those were her reasons. It was never easy to sleep in the city when every waking minute was punctuated by car horns and door alarms and the buzz of a rowdy populace. Gohan ran his fingers through her soft, short hair. Briefly he wondered what it would be like if it was still as long as it had been before.

-o-

Videl had sometimes wished for a sibling. Perhaps a nice older sister who could help her tackle the social world, or maybe a cute, little sibling, either girl or boy, that she would spoil to the world's end. She sort of got her wish in the form of an adorable terror called Goten. Chichi never let her splurge on the little boy, but she still tried to give him as much as he wanted (chocolate and Gohan-time, mostly). She let him color her textbooks, and even though she was not anywhere near qualified, she let him wrestle with her. His open, unabashed joy was worth the colourful bruises she'd end up nursing.

-o-

Falling in love was exactly that: falling. Until someone teaches you how to fly.

-o-

It was on the tip of her tongue, and she was just about to reach out to touch his arm, spill her heart into the open, but her muscles clenched up and she could not move, let alone speak. What right did she have? She had already presumed too much. And whatever sentiments he had should be his to give freely; she had no right to claim them for her own. She sighed and smiled, swallowing the words away. They would never do. Not from her. He deserved more than her humanly affections, and she could not give more than everything she was.

-o-

It was difficult when his parents fought. He never understood why two people, who fought so frequently, would decide to spend the rest of their lives together. It was folly!

"When I grow up, I will marry a girl I will never argue with." He promised himself that. Why in the world, why in Kami's name, would he make himself so miserable?

Oh, better yet. "When I grow up, I will never marry."

Yes, he could be just like Piccolo.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

-o-

"I still need you, you know. I don't think I'll ever stop."

-o-

He lay there on their bed, under the canopy of an endless night, one of too many. Time, at last, proved to be the most bitter, most sadistic enemy. He traced his youthful face on one hand, and the empty side of the bed with the other. He stared at the moon, fully convinced the sun would never follow.

* * *

AN: So, I'm trying to rewrite the bazillionth draft of "What You Will", and since I've been away from this fandom for quite a while, I wanted to see if I still had a handle on Gohan and Videl's characterizations. I thought that the best way to get back into G/V mode was to write another 20 Truths, just to see if the shoe still fits.

Oh, and shout outs to Lilly-sama who always encouraged me to get back to the G/V fandom. You should all get to know her, because she's that awesome.

I hope you guys liked it! Even if just one out of the twenty, let me know, I'll be happy to hear any comments, opinions, etc.


End file.
